Thread: Relative path specified for data_directory is not working as expected

I have PostgreSQL 9.0.4-1 running as a service on Windows XP Home Edition,
with the command line of the service being:

     D:\me\usr\PostgreSQL\bin/pg_ctl.exe runservice -N "pgsql" -D "d:/me/etc/PostgreSQL"

In the postgresql.conf file I have the following settings:

     data_directory = '../../data/PostgreSQL'
     external_pid_file = '../../var/run/PostgreSQL.pid'
     log_directory = '../../var/log/PostgreSQL'

In this configuration the PostgreSQL service fails to start with the message:

     FATAL:  data directory "C:/WINDOWS/system32/../../data/PostgreSQL" does not exist

If using an absolute path for data_directory like this:

   data_directory = 'd:/me/data/PostgreSQL'

then the service starts ok, with the curent directory of pg_ctl.exe
being C:\WINDOWS\system32\, while the pid file and the logs
are set to the desired location.

I can confirm this behavior by running postgres.exe from the console,
and for relative paths the data_directory is relative to the current folder
from where postgres.exe is launched, and both external_pid_file and log_directory
are relative to the directory specified with the -D option of the command line.

For the record, there is no PGDATA environment variable defined.

Have a nice day,
   Eduard

Eduard-Cristian Stefan wrote:
> I have PostgreSQL 9.0.4-1 running as a service on Windows XP Home
> Edition,
> with the command line of the service being:
>
>     D:\me\usr\PostgreSQL\bin/pg_ctl.exe runservice -N "pgsql" -D
> "d:/me/etc/PostgreSQL"
>
> In the postgresql.conf file I have the following settings:
>
>     data_directory = '../../data/PostgreSQL'
>     external_pid_file = '../../var/run/PostgreSQL.pid'
>     log_directory = '../../var/log/PostgreSQL'
>
> In this configuration the PostgreSQL service fails to start with the
> message:
>
>     FATAL:  data directory "C:/WINDOWS/system32/../../data/PostgreSQL"
> does not exist
>
> If using an absolute path for data_directory like this:
>
>   data_directory = 'd:/me/data/PostgreSQL'
>
> then the service starts ok, with the curent directory of pg_ctl.exe
> being C:\WINDOWS\system32\, while the pid file and the logs
> are set to the desired location.
>
> I can confirm this behavior by running postgres.exe from the console,
> and for relative paths the data_directory is relative to the current
> folder
> from where postgres.exe is launched, and both external_pid_file and
> log_directory
> are relative to the directory specified with the -D option of the
> command line.
>
> For the record, there is no PGDATA environment variable defined.
>
> Have a nice day,
>   Eduard
>
Can't the service script be something like
    cd d:/me/data/PostgreSQL; ./pg_ctl.exe runservice -N "pgsql" -D
"d:/me/etc/PostgreSQL"

On Fri, Jun 24, 2011 at 09:42, Rob Sargent <robjsargent@gmail.com> wrote:
> Can't the service script be something like
>   cd d:/me/data/PostgreSQL; ./pg_ctl.exe runservice -N "pgsql" -D
> "d:/me/etc/PostgreSQL"

Don't know about that, the service was installed by pg_ctl.
Still, if two relative paths are based on one folder and the other relative path
is based on another folder, I can call it a bug (or an undocumented feature).

Have a nice day,
  Eduard